Despite losing a set, Novak Djokovic qualified for a fourteenth quarter-final at Wimbledon on Monday, where Carlos Alcaraz passed the Matteo Berrettini test with flying colors.
Djokovic, the second player in the world, has taken a step closer to a 24e Grand Slam title by beating Pole Hubert Hurkacz (18e ) 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (8/6), 5-7, 6-4 after a match interrupted the day before by the curfew.
“I can’t remember the last time I felt so helpless in return of service,” commented the 36-year-old Serb, recognized as the best returner on the circuit. His opponent inflicted 33 aces on him and served his first balls at an average of 207 km/h. But Djokovic took the only lost service game of the tournament from him, to take the lead in the fourth set and remain unbeaten on Center Court at Wimbledon for 10 years, since losing in the final to Andy Murray on the 7th. July 2013.
While he was one of the only players to have reached the round of 16 without being affected by the disruption of the program linked to the rain of the first three days, Djokovic will, this time, have to continue with his quarter on Tuesday against Andrey Rublev (7e). It will be the 56e quarter-final in a major tournament for the Serbian player.
Alcaraz hands down
His main opponent Carlos Alcaraz, whom he can only face in the final, made it to the quarter-finals for the first time at Wimbledon by making a big impression to dominate the powerful Berrettini (38e), finalist in 2021. The world number 1 won 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Proof of his superiority, he only lost his serve once, in the first set, then only had to defend one break point, in the second. On the contrary, he obtained 16 break points on Berrettini’s service, yet one of his main weapons, and made four of them. “I really wanted to reach the quarters after losing in the round of 16 last year. But now I want more! he launched.
His next opponent will be the Dane Holger Rune (6e), winner of the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.
Eubanks as featured guest
On the other hand, for Christopher Eubanks (43e), it will be a multifaceted first. Because the 27-year-old American who had never played at Wimbledon, nor crossed the second round of a Grand Slam tournament, nor beaten a player at the top of the charts offered himself a victory against the fifth player in the world, Stefanos Tsitsipas, to reach the London quarters.
“I feel like I’m living a dream, it’s crazy. […] It’s surreal, I can’t believe it,” admitted Eubanks after winning 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
He will face for a place in the last four world number 3, Daniil Medvedev, who is discovering an ability to play well on grass. “I’m not big on stats, but Wimbledon is by far my worst Grand Slam tournament in terms of rounds. I now hope to do better than at Roland-Garros,” said the Russian, who was leading 6-4, 6-2 when Lehecka (37e) retired due to a foot injury.
On clay in Paris, Medvedev’s best result is a quarter-final in 2021. He reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 2021 and was banned from the tournament in 2022 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. .
In women
On the women’s side, defending champion Elena Rybakina (3e), benefited from the retirement of Beatriz Haddad (13e) due to back pain in the first set, when the Kazakh led 4-1. She will find her opponent in the 2022 final, the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (6e), who dominated the Czech double winner Petra Kvitova (9e) 6-0, 6-3.
The other bottom quarter of the table will oppose Aryna Sabalenka (2e) in Madison Keys (18e). Belarus sent the Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova (22e) 6-4, 6-0 in 71 minutes to find the quarters, as in 2021, where she had climbed to the semis. The American snatched the qualification from the Russian Mirra Andreeva (102e) 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2.